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Maryland Department of Agriculture

Maryland Homegrown School Lunch

Welcome to the new MDA website!

We have launched our new website and are actively monitoring it. If you notice any issues, please submit feedback. Search results may take a few days to update while search engines index the new website.

​There are numerous ways that schools can work to bring more local Maryland-grown products into the cafeteria. Navigate the resources below to help find the method that works best for your school system. 

Ways to incorporate local foods

  • Buy direct from a local farmer
  • Work with a farmers' cooperative
  • Buy at a local farmers' market
  • Order Maryland foods through your traditional distributor
  • Buy cooperatively with an organization with an established relationship with a farmer
  • Connect with a local food processor to "isolate" Maryland products in their processing chain.

Local food strategies

  • Buy fresh fruits and vegetables in season, close to the start of the school year.
  • Buy fruits and vegetables later in the year from farmers who have storage facilities.
  • Buy from farmers who use season extension methods such as high tunnels or greenhouses.
  • Buy meats, dairy products, and non-perishable food items at any time of the year.
  • Buy fresh fruits and vegetables in season, and process them in the school kitchen for later use.

Quick ideas to incorporate Maryland-grown products

  • Offer whole fresh fruits/vegetables
  • Feature a food or specific ingredient on your menu, on a salad bar, or in a recipe
  • Offer free samples in the classroom or cafeteria
  • Conduct a nutrition education activity with a food in the cafeteria or classroom
  • Invite farmer to speak, offer, and display foods in the cafeteria
  • Invite a friend, colleague, parent, or anyone who grows or has an interest in local foods to speak or display foods in your schools

Ways to promote your program

  • Plan a tasting or cooking demonstration event.
  • Organize a farm tour
  • Put up posters in school and in the community
  • Highlight the program or a featured product in the newsletter or other school publication
  • Share Farm to School educational lessons and activities with parents, food service administrators,and the community.

Procurement resources